Institutionally related foundations are nonprofit organizations that cultivate and manage private assets to support the missions of the colleges and universities with which they are affiliated. These prestigious awards recognize professionals who have made extraordinary contributions to the advancement, quality and effectiveness of their foundations and the sector.

J. Michael Goodwin, president and chief executive officer, Oregon State University Foundation. Goodwin has more than 30 years of experience in institutional advancement. He began his advancement career in 1980 at a Seattle-area private high school before joining Washington State University where he directed its first comprehensive capital campaign. He later joined Georgetown University where he led the $1B Third Century campaign.

During his tenure at the OSU Foundation, Goodwin has adapted best practices from the business world to the nonprofit environment, transforming the foundation and seeing annual fundraising totals more than double since his arrival in 2004. He is currently leading Oregon State's first comprehensive campaign, which recently reached the $900 million milestone toward its $1 billion goal.

Beyond providing financial support to Oregon State University, the foundation has initiated advocacy efforts to help educate various constituents, including state legislators, about public higher education in the state. In 2011, Goodwin helped lead The Oregon Idea, a group advocating for public post-secondary education, to its biggest legislative victory: a landmark law that gives Oregon's public universities more autonomy and ensures their tuition dollars are not redirected to other state programs.

"At Oregon State, we benefit from Mike's extraordinary leadership, his vision and the model fundraising program he has built for our university," wrote Edward J. Ray, Oregon State president, in his nomination letter. "However, what most distinguished Mike's service is its promise to transform the role of institutionally related foundations across the sector."

Goodwin is an active member of CASE. Since 2008, he has served on the CASE Board of Trustees and is currently its treasurer. He is also a frequent presenter at CASE conferences and mentor, internationally, to many in the profession.

James C. Miller, president and chief executive officer of the North Dakota State University Development Foundation. Miller has 40 years of experience in institutional advancement. Early in his career, he held leadership positions at the Kearney State College Foundation in Nebraska and the Kansas State University Foundation.

During his 30-year tenure at North Dakota State University Development Foundation, Miller has transformed the once-fledging foundation into a model fundraising and alumni relations program. Miller has presided over many key accomplishments at NDSU Development Foundation, including:

An increase in the foundation's total assets from $3 million to more than $161 million

Growth in its endowment portfolio from $1 million to more than $100 million

Rise in annual giving from $1 million to more than $20 million.

"What has taken place at North Dakota State, and what Mr. Miller has had a catalytic part of making happen, has been the transition of a regional doctoral institution in to what both the National Science Foundation and the Carnegie Commission on Higher Education rank as one of the top-100 research universities in the nation," wrote Dean L. Bresciani, president of North Dakota State, in his nomination letter.

Miller is a long-time member of CASE. He has served on the CASE Board of Trustees, the CASE Commission on Philanthropy, the National Committee of Institutionally Related Foundations and other CASE committees. He is an active presenter at CASE conferences and is the recipient of the prestigious CASE Crystal Apple Award for Teaching Excellence.

The awards are underwritten by Commonfund, which provides fund management services and investment advice to nonprofit organizations.

About CASE

The Council for Advancement and Support of Education is a professional association serving educational institutions and the advancement professionals who work on their behalf in alumni relations, communications, development, marketing and allied areas.

CASE was founded in 1974 and maintains headquarters in Washington, D.C., with offices in London (CASE Europe, 1994), Singapore (CASE Asia-Pacific, 2007) and Mexico City (CASE América Latina, 2011).

Today, CASE’s membership includes more than 3,600 colleges and universities, primary and secondary independent and international schools, and nonprofit organizations in 76 countries around the globe. This makes CASE one of the world’s largest nonprofit educational associations in terms of institutional membership. CASE serves more than 70,000 advancement professionals on the staffs of its member institutions and has more than 17,000 professional members on its roster.

To fulfill their missions and to meet both individual and societal needs, colleges, universities and independent schools rely on—and therefore must foster—the good will, active involvement, informed advocacy and enduring support of alumni, donors, prospective students, parents, government officials, community leaders, corporate executives, foundation officers and other external constituencies.

CASE helps its members build stronger relationships with all of these constituencies by providing relevant research, supporting growth in the profession and fostering support of education. CASE also offers a variety of advancement products and services, provides standards and an ethical framework for the profession and works with other organizations to respond to public issues of concern while promoting the importance of education worldwide.